Letter from Alfred E. Stearns to Charles Sun, London, October 31, 1930
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Alfred E. Stearns to Charles Sun, London, October 31, 1930
Subject
Letter from Alfred E. Stearns to Charles Sun, London, October 31, 1930
Transcription
Dear Charlie:
How good it seems to hear from you again and especially to know that the forbidding fog and dampness of London are not weighing quite so heavily on your spirits as they did at first. I confess that I doubt whether I myself could have made the adjustments necessary if I had been in your place even so soon as you have done. London does not appeal to me a bit, I must admit, but then, I have never been there with a real job on my hands and one can bear almost anything when one is busy.
Mary is rounding our [sic] her course at the School for Nursing at Yale, and from all I can learn, is getting along well. She writes only occasionally, to be sure, but always in a happy vein. Her work interests her, and I hope she will be able to continue in the general line when she returns to China, even though I know your father is not enthusiastic about it. Personally, I don’t see how any one could find a better avenue for rendering real service to China than through this channel.
No, Tom isn't at Columbia, but at Yale, taking advanced work in Economics and in accordance with his father’s wish. He is not a bit happy there, though, for he finds the life and contacts very different from the intimate and friendly ones he enjoyed in Middlebury. I imagine that he will get adjusted in time, but he is pretty gloomy about it at present.
What you write me of the old Andover boys in China is immensely interesting. Do remember me to them when you write if you have occasion to, for I will never lose my interest in them. Poor Quincy - I fear he has had a hard time of it. His last letters to me, though I haven't heard from him recently, expressed keen disappointment, chiefly at the seeming lack of intellectual ambition in his pupils. Further, he was only getting a bit of his pay occasionally, and not all of it at that. As for Charlie Tsai, I haven’t heard a word about him since he went back home. I am afraid he would have to be classed with Tommy Tuan, though perhaps as he gets a bit older, he will develop balance and purpose.
So here are greetings from your old and still constant friend in America, and with them every best wish for the days and work ahead.
Ever sincerely yours,
How good it seems to hear from you again and especially to know that the forbidding fog and dampness of London are not weighing quite so heavily on your spirits as they did at first. I confess that I doubt whether I myself could have made the adjustments necessary if I had been in your place even so soon as you have done. London does not appeal to me a bit, I must admit, but then, I have never been there with a real job on my hands and one can bear almost anything when one is busy.
Mary is rounding our [sic] her course at the School for Nursing at Yale, and from all I can learn, is getting along well. She writes only occasionally, to be sure, but always in a happy vein. Her work interests her, and I hope she will be able to continue in the general line when she returns to China, even though I know your father is not enthusiastic about it. Personally, I don’t see how any one could find a better avenue for rendering real service to China than through this channel.
No, Tom isn't at Columbia, but at Yale, taking advanced work in Economics and in accordance with his father’s wish. He is not a bit happy there, though, for he finds the life and contacts very different from the intimate and friendly ones he enjoyed in Middlebury. I imagine that he will get adjusted in time, but he is pretty gloomy about it at present.
What you write me of the old Andover boys in China is immensely interesting. Do remember me to them when you write if you have occasion to, for I will never lose my interest in them. Poor Quincy - I fear he has had a hard time of it. His last letters to me, though I haven't heard from him recently, expressed keen disappointment, chiefly at the seeming lack of intellectual ambition in his pupils. Further, he was only getting a bit of his pay occasionally, and not all of it at that. As for Charlie Tsai, I haven’t heard a word about him since he went back home. I am afraid he would have to be classed with Tommy Tuan, though perhaps as he gets a bit older, he will develop balance and purpose.
So here are greetings from your old and still constant friend in America, and with them every best wish for the days and work ahead.
Ever sincerely yours,
Creator
Alfred E. Stearn
Publisher
Phillips Academy
Date
October 31, 1930
Rights
All Rights Reserved by Phillips Academy
Language
English
Type
Correspondence